Human settlement areas in many different countries are classified as either rural or urban. So the question comes in, what makes a settlement urban and what makes another rural? The benchmarks for categorizing a community as urban or rural is different in many places although there could be similarities. A rural or an urban population is influenced by factors including political, social, environmental and technological dimensions. The following article will try to explain both urban and rural communities in depth and then towards the end, highlight the similarities between them. Let us get started with the definitions and characteristics of both urban and rural settlements.
What is an Urban Area?
An urban community is one that is characterized by large-scale industrialization processes such as cities and promote high numbers of employment opportunities. Think about it, if an area has a lot of work opportunities, a lot of people will be settled there either working or looking for jobs, which leads to a high population. As a result of high population density, urban areas develop very fast with more modern activities being set up to accommodate the high numbers of people. Means of transport in urban settings are modern including cars, buses, motorcycles and other modes of transportation. There are a lot of activities and people in the town centers and life is very fast paced.
People are always in a hurry trying to do one thing after the other and traffic jams are on the rise. There’s a lot of social parties and gatherings. Technological developments also start in the city centers and make urban communities develop even faster than rural areas. Advancements in technology enable better public amenities including roads, hospitals, schools, offices, churches and more. With this for an urban community, let’s define and understand a rural setting.
What is a Rural Area?
The lack of industrialization processes characterizes a rural area. However, there is the development of farming processes, machinery and equipment because farming forms the backbone of rural settings. Unlike urban communities, rural communities are sparsely populated only marked by villages and hamlets. People in the rural areas almost know each other because they are just a few. People in the urban areas are always so busy with life they may not know who their neighbors. Life in the rural areas is not fast-paced; it is slow and relaxed. Means of transport are not as developed as those in the urban centers; it is not uncommon to find that in rural areas, people use bicycles as the primary source of transport and some walk very long distances – cars and buses are not very common. People in rural setups are surrounded more by nature and not industries and buildings. The rural life is more calm with access to pure products both animal and plant products with little contamination. The air is also fresh and clean in rural areas as there are no major factories, cars, and buses. All this spells better health and fitness in rural communities. Some countries have more rural populations than urban and vice versa. For instance, many developed nations have more urban settlements than rural settlements. Indonesia’s capital city has one of the most urbanized population in the world with most people living in the city center. India, on the other hand, is marked by a lot of rural areas where agriculture is the primary source of livelihood.
Similarities between Urban and Rural Areas
While urban and rural settings have differences, there could be several similarities. Here are some similarities between urban and rural, communities
- People live in either of the two settlements areas
- In both settlements, people have to do some form of work. The rural communities engage more in farming while the urban communities work in more developed settings marked by technological advancements
- People need money to survive in the two settlements
- Both urban and rural settings have inhabitants with similar beliefs in customs, religion, ideas, and values
- All people in either rural and urban environment are governed by the same country laws as well enjoy equal privileges and rights
Summary ON Similarities between Urban and Rural Areas
Both rural and urban areas are distinct as discussed in the article above. They each have advantages and disadvantages. Many people, however, prefer the urban areas because of many developments and opportunities.
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